Sleeping through the night

This subject may be one of the most difficult aspects of parenthood.  We adults could sleep forever if we didn't have schedules to keep, why can't our kids do it too?  I know that every child is different, and something that works for one parent may not work for another.  Hopefully by sharing my story I may be able to help someone else by giving them some new ideas to try.  I'm going to tell you how my husband and I got our daughter to sleep through the night (9-13 hours straight) at 2 months old.

I am a nursing mother, and I had been told that breastfed babies were not able to sleep though the night.  Breast milk is digested much easier and faster than formula, therefore breastfed babies needed to eat more often.  The first two months of Makayla's life were very hard at night.  She would sleep anywhere from 3-4 hours at a time.  My husband worked a 7:30-4:30 job, so when she woke at night I had to get up with her.  He was more than willing to get up, but I knew he needed his rest.  It definitely took a toll on me.  I was miserable, irritable, and the bags under my eyes never seemed to go away.  

Our first mistake was not having a bedtime routine.  Consistency is the key.  I cannot say this enough!  We decided that our routine would begin with a bubble bath using Johnson's  bedtime bath.  It has a wonderful calming scent that Kayla remembers each night we run her bath.  I'm not too sure how much this actually calms her, because she adores bath time.  She screams and splashes us and laughs at her accomplishment.  We try to keep her calm, but often give in to her sweet laughs and smiles.  After this we dry her off and play her lullaby's while we dress her.  We start with the same song every time so she knows it's her bedtime.  Also, the ONLY time she ever gets a pacifier is at nap or bed time.  We give this to her while we're dressing her to calm her down.  Finally, lights go out and I nurse her.  Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she doesn't.  I then rock her for about 5 minutes.  She goes into her crib regardless if she is asleep or awake.  We always place her on her back, but she is a tummy sleeper at heart.  Her lullaby's play until the end of the playlist on the Ipod. 

Sounds easy right?  It took about 2 full weeks to get her used to this routine.  We use this routine wherever we go.  It must look ridiculous that my husband and I lug around her Ipod docking station and favorite blankets, and bubble bath, but it really does make a difference!  We have not had any bedtime problems in the past 8 months  *knock on wood* at home or on vacation. 

Now I know that you're all hating me thinking that my baby slept through the night right away with this routine.  We had to teach her that this was bed time and that meant sleep time.  At first she would wake after her normal 3-4 hours.  When this happened one of us would sneak in the room and pop the pacifier that had fallen out back into her mouth (after doing the sniff test to see if she needed a diaper change).  She would immediately roll over and go back to sleep.  We had to do this for about a week once a night, and then she finally got it.  Did she fuss at all?  A few times she would moan a little here and there, but no crying.  My husband and I do not believe in the cry it out method, especially at only 2 months old.  I am in no way judging anyone that has used this method.  I believe that you do what works for you, and everyone is different.  

The first time she slept 9 hours straight I woke up every hour looking at the clock.  I couldn't believe that she was still sleeping!  I even crept in and checked on to her make sure that she was still breathing.  The rest, as we say, is history!  Each night she started sleeping longer and longer, on her own.  We no longer needed to run in to give her a pacifier.  She had taught herself how to go back to sleep on her own if she woke at night.  I bet some of you are thinking that she needed to eat and that's why she woke up.  If she had continued to wake up after putting the pacifier in her mouth a few times I would have fed her.  My goal was not to starve our daughter, but to teach her to sleep.  I made sure that she was fed every 2-3 hours during the day to make up for the lost nighttime feeding.  I also checked with our pediatrician first to make sure that this would be ok.  She gave us the green light, and we got to work! 

I believe that part of our success came from giving her the pacifier only at sleep time.  When she woke at night, we would put it back in her mouth and leave the room.  I would say that being consistent with her bedtime routine is what really helped her understand what bedtime meant. 

I wanted to share this story with everyone because I know how hard it is when your child does not sleep though the night.  It's exhausting, and when you are that tired it's hard to focus on any part of your life.   I remember being so tired that I couldn't imagine making dinner.  For the first 2 months I barely did any house work because I spent all my free time (Makayla's nap time) sleeping.  Getting a good nights rest is best for everyone.  I know that what worked for us may not work for everyone, but hopefully it can give you some new ideas to try if your child is not sleeping through the night.   

Good luck and if you have any questions about our bedtime routine please feel free to ask me!